Discussions By Condition: Aging

Aging and body odor changes

My husband is 73; many years older than I. He has an offensive body odor -- kinda sour, old garbage smell -- though he showers daily and this is not from bad breath; it's body odor. He has always had a particular body odor; however, in the past few years it has become stronger. His clothes, bedding picks up this sour smell. I think he is aware of it somewhat, but I hestitate to discuss it with him. Is this a normal part of aging? Or a sign of cancer or other ailment? Thank you.

20 Replies:

Maybe its just the "age" issue causing the odor. You know babies always smell so sweet unless they have a dirty diaper. Try to use powders and creams to diffuse the bad odor. I've heard that cancers smell weird but I don't really know if its true.

If you have bad body odour, it is a sign of what is going on inside your system. I know because I had a fecal odour coming from my whole body for 6 years and I had no idea why. Antibiotics caused this odour. When you take antibiotics they kill ALL bacteria (good and bad) in the gut. When you are overrun with bacteria it causes a host of problems, this is why some odours get worse as people age. This is why this is happening. I searched for the cure, went to normal doctors, no one helped me, until I went to a natural doctor. Clean your colon, intestines. Then take lots of probiotics. If you have a white tongue as well this is a sign that you have a bacterial imbalance. Goodluck.

My husband is 73; many years older than I. He has an offensive body odor -- kinda sour, old garbage smell -- though he showers daily and this is not from bad breath; it's body odor. He has always had a particular body odor; however, in the past few years it has become stronger. His clothes, bedding picks up this sour smell. I think he is aware of it somewhat, but I hestitate to discuss it with him. Is this a normal part of aging? Or a sign of cancer or other ailment? Thank you.hey,my husband has a bad odor too...was he in the military? i can open his closet & it hits me bad...

My husband is almost 53. I have recently noticed a change in the way he smells. It is rather strong but not offensive like bad body odor. It just is coming from all over sort of maybe metallic but I can't put my finger on it. I am wondering if he has maybe cancer or something. Its odd. Even when he wears cologne I still smell it. I have just changed my laundry detergent to see if that makes a difference. Any suggestions what this may be?

There would appear to be many different odors associated with the elderly or for that matter, humans in general. The primary source of these odors is poor hygiene, the infrequency of washing oneself, allowing malodorous bacteria to flourish.Here's a simple remedy: Soak yourself for 15 minutes in bath water with couple of cups of tomato juice in it. Use baby powder to keep areas of heavy perspiration dry. Apple cider vinegar can be used to combat body odor.

My husband is almost 53. I have recently noticed a change in the way he smells. It is rather strong but not offensive like bad body odor. It just is coming from all over sort of maybe metallic but I can't put my finger on it. I am wondering if he has maybe cancer or something. Its odd. Even when he wears cologne I still smell it. I have just changed my laundry detergent to see if that makes a difference. Any suggestions what this may be?My husband had a metallic smell as well. 2 things. He had bad teeth. and the other is he was toxic in metal. Check it out.

My husband had a metallic smell as well. 2 things. He had bad teeth. and the other is he was toxic in metal. Check it out.Body odor stems from a variety of sources. In 2001, the Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido identified Nonenal, the main source of aging odor. Nonenal has an unpleasant greasy odor. How Nonenal is Produced- As we get older, the natural antioxidant protection of our skin decreases.- Palmitoleic acid in lipid acid is oxidized.- This results in the production of an unsaturated aldehyde, Nonenal.Reference:http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v116/n4/full/5601027a.htmlhttp://www.jbc.org/content/285/20/15302.abstracthttp://www.miraiclinical.com/pdfs/odorassociatedwithaging.pdf

My husband is 73; many years older than I. He has an offensive body odor -- kinda sour, old garbage smell -- though he showers daily and this is not from bad breath; it's body odor. He has always had a particular body odor; however, in the past few years it has become stronger. His clothes, bedding picks up this sour smell. I think he is aware of it somewhat, but I hestitate to discuss it with him. Is this a normal part of aging? Or a sign of cancer or other ailment? Thank you.These sites offer many good suggestions:Drinking enough water and eating a balanced diet makes a difference. vhttp://www.globalhealingcenter.com/body-odor.htmlhttp://www.home-remedies-for-you.com/askquestion/19596/menstrual-odors-control-smell-during-menstruation-.htmlhttp://www.menopauseatoz.com/ammonia-smell-menopause.shtml

I am 62 year old female who has noticed a change in my body odor recently. My bra smells sour. My lipstick smells the same way...offensive.Any suggestions?I too have had the odor in my bra, I found out that it was yeast on my own, the skin between my breast was slightly darker than the rest of my skin; perhaps that is what you have.

I noticed that my husband had a very strong odor even though he showers every day. It was not just me; my daughter could easily tell which pillow was mine and which was her dad's. About a year or so after I noticed this odor, my husband told me that he had been diagnosed with cancer of the prostate. He had his prostate removed. My daughter and I visited him after surgery. The odor was very strong. A few days later, the odor went away and it has never returned. That was ten years ago. I have no proof, of course, but I am convinced that the odor was the result of his cancer.

It must be by 2-NONENAL, which was reported in 2001 (Haze S, Gozu Y, Nakamura S, Kohno Y, Sawano K, Ohta H, Yamazaki K. 2-Nonenal
newly found in human body odor tends to increase with aging. J Invest Dermatol 2001 Apr;116(4):520-4. PubMed PMID: 11286617) Persimmon Soap may solve the problem. Please search with "Persimmon Soap". Some soap is available from Japan through eBay. A US company at Seattle is also selling their own products. I hope it will help you.

so glad I looked up my dilemma concerning my new smell! It is all inside and outside my body. I have COPD in advanced stage, This Aug. is when this odar appeared, it permeates thru-out my house or wherever I am! my sense of smell is whacked causing me to not eat right. I chill during day, burn up @ night! I wish for death,but what to do with my cats?